Valve Tightens Rules, Removes 'Adult Only' Titles From Steam

Valve is ramping up its enforcement of 'adult-only' content policies to comply with requirements from Steam’s payment processing partners, leading to the removal of dozens of sexually explicit games from the platform in recent days.

As reported by GameSpark and highlighted by Automaton, activity logs from SteamDB indicate that Steam has revised its 'Rules and Guidelines' policy to clarify that publishing "certain types" of adult-only content may constitute a violation.

A newly added section, clause 15, now explicitly prohibits content on Steam that "may breach rules and standards established by Steam’s payment processors, associated card networks, banks, or internet service providers."

The SteamDB X / Twitter account shared an extensive list of adult-oriented games that have recently been delisted from the store.

This change may be linked to issues with PayPal, as users in some regions have been unable to use the service for Steam transactions over the past five days.

Permanent link to the list of removed titles: https://t.co/Vy44Q0hVGN

— SteamDB (@SteamDB) July 16, 2025

The move follows public outcry earlier this year when UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle criticized Steam for hosting a sexually explicit visual novel depicting non-consensual acts, including rape and incest. The developer, Zerat Games, later announced it would voluntarily withdraw the game after it was banned in the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Despite the intent, Valve’s updated guidelines have drawn criticism from some quarters over concerns about censorship and the ambiguous wording of the new rules.

In related news, we recently covered Valve co-founder and CEO Gabe Newell, who offered a rare glimpse into his life living and working aboard a superyacht he refers to simply as a "boat."